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U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar has spoken out about a federal raid on her Washington, D.C., home, describing it as an attempt to intimidate her. The Minnesota Democrat told MS NOW that the early morning raid lasted four to five hours and involved up to 25 agents. Omar, a refugee from the 1991 Somalia Civil War, is being investigated by Homeland Security for potential immigration violations.
Omar said she was awakened at 6 a.m. by agents banging on her door with a warrant. "It sounded like an urgent evacuation sort-of situation," she said. The agents seized 17 items, including phones, notebooks, a children's book in Somali, and a vintage camera, according to The National News Desk.
Omar, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000, expressed confidence in her innocence. "It would be a huge undertaking to, I suppose, indict a 12-year-old for so cleverly conspiring to defraud immigration services to come to the United States," she said.
President Donald Trump has been vocal about Omar, suggesting she could face jail time or deportation. He has called her "a disgrace to our country" and accused her of hating the U.S. Omar suspects the raid is partly Trump making good on his threats after years of targeting her.
Omar plans to move out of her home due to safety concerns and the public nature of the raid. "With the death threats that I deal with, it’s no longer going to be feasible to be in that house," she said.
The investigation into Omar's immigration status has been ongoing, with previous probes during Trump's first term finding insufficient evidence of wrongdoing. Omar remains confident in her truth and believes the justice system will prevail.